As a Favor for His Taliban Hosts, Bin Laden Had Their Rival Assassinated

2 Days Before 9/11, Al Qaeda Killed Osama Bin Laden's Biggest Taliban Rival

Ahmad Shah Massoud was killed in a suicide bombing just two days before the September 11 attacks.

As a favor for his Taliban hosts, bin Laden had their rival assassinated

The news that Ahmad Shah Massoud had been killed "made me feel sick to my stomach," said the CIA officer who led the first team into Afghanistan after 9/11.

As a Favor for His Taliban Hosts, Osama bin Laden Had Their Rival Assassinated

In this series, Newsweek maps the road to 9/11 as it happened 25 years ago, day by day. Yesterday: "The match is about to begin," said one of the communications. The NSA didn't translate them into English or disseminate them. September 9, 2001: Ahmad Shah Massoud, leader of the so-called Northern…

25 years since assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud

Massoud publicly advocated elections and broader public participation in determining Afghanistan’s political system.